Turn-based
Learning paths through this topic
Turn-Based Combat
Turn-based combat gives the player time to think. Every action is a decision, made in full view of what it will do.
Action Points
Action points make a turn a puzzle of choices. The player has a few points and many things to do, so every move, attack or item use has to earn its place.
Status Effects
Status effects give attacks a lasting result beyond the damage: a hit can leave the target hurt, slowed or helpless for a while, which lets fights be won by setting things up.
Damage Types
Damage types make choices matter before a fight and during it: the right weapon against the right enemy does much more, and the wrong one does little, which gives a reason to carry more than one of everything.
Turn Order by Initiative
A fight with several fighters needs a fair and readable answer to who goes next. A score from speed and a little luck makes fast fighters act earlier without making the order the same every fight, and a fixed order per round lets the player plan ahead.
Let a button press just before an attack ends still count
Players press attack a hair too early and nothing happens, so the game feels sticky and unfair. This entry shows how to remember an early press for a short moment, and why the length of that moment matters more than it seems.
Let a heavy swing cost more than you have without breaking the turn
Big tools and weapons should feel heavy, but if the price is higher than your points per turn you can never use them, and if you allow it freely you can swing forever. This entry gives a rule that keeps heavy actions possible and still costly.
Give the side that spots the other first exactly one free round
Sneaking up on a camp or being jumped on the road should change who strikes first. But when both sides notice each other, or nobody does, a surprise bonus feels wrong. This entry covers when the free round applies and when it ends.
Let some arrows be picked up after the fight, but not the lost ones
Ammunition makes hunting tense, and collecting spent arrows is a nice reward. The trouble is deciding which ones survive, so that results repeat on reload and the quiver never overflows. This entry covers the count, the ground and the limit.
Let only a few enemies attack at a time so a crowd stays fair
Ten enemies that all swing at once are not hard, just unfair. A small set of attack permits keeps fights readable. The trouble starts when a permit is never returned, or when the same enemy always gets it and the others wait for ever.
Keep startup, hit and recovery phases right when a slow effect stretches them
When a slowing effect stretches an enemy attack, the danger moment can end up a frame longer or shorter than the animation, and the total length drifts. This entry shows how to stretch the phases so they still add up exactly.
Make an explosion hurt less the farther away you stand, never zero inside
A blast that either hurts fully or not at all makes rocket jumps and grenades feel like a coin toss, and one that measures from the middle of a big monster hits it far too softly. This entry gives a fade that feels fair for small and large targets alike.